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No-hitter earns Kershaw weekly honors

Left-hander earns fourth NL Player of the Week award of his career

MLB Tonight looks at Clayton Kershaw's no-hitter vs. the Rockies, the 22nd no-hitter for the Dodgers and the most of any MLB team

By Joey Nowak
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MLB.com |

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw's first career no-hitter, one of the most dominating pitching performances in baseball history, has earned him the National League Player of the Week honors.

Kershaw struck out 15 Rockies hitters and only allowed one baserunner (by way of an error in the seventh inning) over in an 8-0 victory on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium -- helping Los Angeles complete a three-game sweep against one of the most potent offenses in baseball.

Kershaw needed just 107 pitches (79 strikes) to accomplish the feat, and his 15 strikeouts were the most in baseball history by a pitcher who didn't allow a runner to reach base via hit, walk or hit-by-pitch. Three pitchers (Matt Cain in 2012, Sandy Koufax in 1965 and Nap Rucker in 1908) had previously completed no-hitters with 14 strikeouts. Cain and Koufax's no-hitters were perfect games.

Kershaw's performance also featured the third-most strikeouts in a no-hitter, and he tied for the most by a lefty since Warren Spahn on Sept. 16, 1960. It was the 22nd no-hitter in Dodgers franchise history, the most of any club in baseball, and it came less than a month after teammate Josh Beckett threw the 21st.

This was Kershaw's fourth career Player of the Week award. His teammate Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-0, 1.50 ERA, eight strikeouts, 12 innings pitched) was recognized for his performance last week.

Joey Nowak is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @joeynowak. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.